Jalil's All-Round Brilliance Powers Raj Express to Victory in IES Digiana Tournament

Jalil Shines in Raj Express's Dominant Win Over NST

Raj Express clinched their second consecutive victory in the 31st IES Digiana Inter Press Cricket Tournament 2026 on Wednesday. They defeated National Sports Times by a commanding margin of 66 runs at the Bab-e-Ali ground in Bhopal.

Raj Express Sets a Formidable Target

Batting first, Raj Express posted a strong total of 188 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their allotted 18 overs. Jalil played a pivotal role, smashing 75 runs off just 52 balls. His explosive innings provided the backbone of the innings.

Prashant contributed a valuable 42 runs, while Manoranjan Kumar added 21 runs to the scoreboard. For National Sports Times, Sachin was the standout bowler, claiming 3 wickets. Pankaj Ahlawat supported him well with 2 wickets.

NST's Chase Falls Short

In reply, National Sports Times struggled to keep up with the required run rate. They managed to score only 122 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in their 18 overs. Captain Mohan top-scored with 33 runs off 40 balls, and Ajay Maurya made 26 runs.

Raj Express's bowling attack proved too strong. Naresh and Jalil each picked up 2 wickets, showcasing Jalil's all-round capabilities. Skipper Shashi Shekhar also chipped in with 1 wicket to help seal the victory.

Individual Accolades

Jalil was deservedly named the Man of the Match for his outstanding performance with both bat and ball. Prashant received the RNTU Valuable Player award for his crucial contribution with the bat.

Gilt Free Secures Comfortable Win in Other Match

In another match of the day, Gilt Free chased down Phoenix's target with ease. Phoenix had set a total of 139 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs. Gilt Free reached 142 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in just 16.1 overs, winning by 5 wickets.

For Phoenix, Sabir Muhammad played a brilliant innings, scoring 60 runs off 46 balls. Ravi remained unbeaten on 30 runs off 19 balls, and captain Deepesh added 21 runs. Gilt Free's Ashutosh took 3 wickets, and Vinod Pal claimed 2 wickets.

Gilt Free's successful chase was led by Aditya Gaur, who remained unbeaten on 60 runs off 32 balls. Nitesh scored 29 runs, and Rizwan contributed 22 runs. For Phoenix, Diwakar Tiwari and Divyanshu Yadav each took 2 wickets.